Meeting to be held on proposed Laverstock development

It comes after Hallam Land Management submitted the planning application earlier this week.

In response to the plans, Laverstock and Ford Parish Council will hold the meeting with the developers to enable councillors and residents to discuss the plan with them and ask questions.

Nick Baker, chairman of Laverstock and Ford Parish Council

Nick Baker, chairman of the parish council, said they know the proposal is one "which members of our community have strong feelings about".

He added: "We are already seeing a high level of discussion on social media and in the local press. We have arranged this meeting on 11th February to provide an opportunity for local residents to ask the developers questions about their proposals.

"The discussion will be helpful to us as a Parish Council as we formulate our official response to the proposals at our meeting on 15th February.

"We would also encourage local residents to submit their personal responses to the proposals on the Wiltshire Council website."

The consultation closes on Thursday, March 4, and comments can be submitted online on the Wiltshire Council website.

Artists impression, land off Church Road

David Lovibond of the Milford and Area Preservation Group, said the application is "frankly a most egregious assault on a much cherished landscape".

He added: "The view From Church Road over the fields and up to Cockey Down is not only aesthetically pleasing and an amenity of great value to local residents, the land proposed for this development is archaeologically rich and resonant with accumulated history.

"To dispose of it in this fashion for misplaced housing and on this scale would quite simply be an outrage. I urge local people to register their objections to this impertinence in the strongest possible terms."

The Laverstock and Ford Parish Council meeting will be held online via Zoom on Thursday, February 11 at 6pm and can be accessed here or using meeting ID 881 3562 2868 in the Zoom app.

You can also join by telephone by calling 0203 481 5237 then dialling the meeting ID numbers when requested.

On Monday, February 15, the monthly meeting of the parish council will then debate the application and councillors will decide their response to it, which will then go on to be considered by Wiltshire Council’s Planning Committee.

This meeting is also open to the public to attend online via Zoom.